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00:00so thank you so much Carmela and Tej joining us from Germany at this point of time this is
00:15the ESO podcast 49th international podcast and we are very glad to have you on this platform
00:22in just a brief introduction though you don't require because it's a big name
00:26you're a language lecturer and trainer of adult education your specialization lies in intercultural
00:35competence and communication you speak five international languages and you are head of
00:41international relations projects at Daufer Ruppet Germany so thanks a lot once again joining this
00:49is a wonderful topic we are covering for the very first time on the platform of ESO bridging cultures
00:55navigating into intercultural communications with you and thanks a lot a wonderful topic would like
01:03to move on to my first question a very important question says what first sparked your interest in
01:10intercultural communications yes thank you first of all I want to thank you for the opportunity to
01:18speak here in this podcast thank you for having me yes what first sparked my interest in intercultural
01:27communication good question but before I start with answering this question I think it is important
01:34to know what intercultural communication means so for me intercultural communication is the ability
01:42to understand and exchange ideas between people it's not only about language it's also about values
01:50behaviors and perspectives that can sometimes be very different starting with this definition
01:57my interest in intercultural communication comes directly from my personal background that means that I was born
02:06and raised in Germany but both of my parents are Italian so they come from from Italy and they moved to Germany
02:15since 35 years now so from the very beginning I lived with these two cultures at the same time
02:23German culture and Italian culture and you can imagine at home we spoke Italian while at school
02:30I lived with France I was surrounded by German language and culture so growing up with these two worlds gave me
02:37an awareness of cultural differences very early from from the beginning on and in school then I discovered
02:45strong passion for languages like French and Spanish became my favorites so the passion led me to study first
02:54intercultural communication in Saarbrücken in Germany there I combined French and Spanish and
03:02afterwards I pursued a three national master's degree in intercultural European studies which took me to
03:12a three national master like in two three countries the first semester in France the second in Germany and the final year
03:21so the third and fourth semester in Spain in Madrid and during my bachelor studies I also spent yeah six months in
03:31Seville and Spain six months in France and that was a real turning point because you know and initial culture of course in
03:40classroom and actually living in the country where it is spoken or where and immersed in the culture so you know suddenly I was part of the
03:49culture studying there making friends experiencing daily life and I realized that you can read
03:56countless books about national culture but true understanding comes from living it working there building
04:03relationships as I said and immersing myself in everyday life so looking back I can say that intercultural
04:12communication has always been like yeah a red thread running through my life I would say
04:19and it is not just something I studied I can say it shaped my personality and professionality also and over
04:29time it has become both my passion and my career yes I would say thank you so much responding this important
04:37question and your childhood internalization as you mentioned like Italian language learning and then
04:43German language through different types of different cultures and a different picking up of languages certainly
04:49good of your initial journey of this person and domain that you've been you know sort of addressing and
04:55sort of disseminating quantitative and qualitative body of data thanks Lord now would like to move on to my
05:01second question a very important question says can you share a moment where cultural differences led to either conflict
05:10or deeper understanding yes there are absolutely a lot of moments I try to be precise
05:20one very clear example comes from my work with international students in Germany
05:24I worked also here in Regensburg in university and many of my students were surprised sometimes even
05:32shocked by the very direct way Germans communicate and I remember one particular feedback session where a
05:40German colleague gave very straightforward criticism and for the German side this was seen as normal
05:47constructive and even helpful but for many of the students from southern Europe like Italy,
05:54Spain, France it felt harsh and even disrespectful so I stepped in to explain that in Germany
06:02directness is often understood as honesty and efficiency not as a lack of respect so this explanation opened
06:10the door for a really valuable conversation um yeah about cultural codes about how in some cultures
06:19like Italy or Spain respect is shown through clarity and directness um like in Germany in Germany for
06:27example while in others it is shown by softening criticism and preserving harmony like it is in in Spain or Italy
06:37so what began as a moment of tension actually turned into a moment of deeper mutual understanding because I explained it
06:43it you know and and this is something I also researched in my bachelor's thesis and because there I conducted interviews with Spanish and French students at Saarland University
06:57to identify what we call critical incidents and this critical incidents are key interaction situations
07:09where cultural differences lead to misunderstandings so a very common theme that emerged in my bachelor
07:16thesis was exactly this German's directness especially in feedback and while students German students viewed it as
07:26honest and efficient like I said before Spanish and French students often perceived it as blunt or rude
07:32so this research confirmed that even small everyday interactions in university etc can reveal deep cultural differences
07:42and I want to um tell you another point about my own personal experience um and professional life
07:52because I said before that I worked also in in France and when I worked there um I was really surprised by how meetings were
08:00I conducted so I worked there in um language school and we had there many meetings so in Germany um I'm used to clear agendas
08:12structured discussions and a strong focus on efficiency but in France I experienced meetings that often started
08:21for example with a fixed agenda and included a lot of small talk sometimes about family personal life
08:30hobbies current events and so on and then they got they came to the business topics so at first I was confused
08:40and even a little frustrated because it felt totally unorganized to me but yeah um over time I understood that this
08:51kind of small talk plays a very very important role in France it's not a waste of time like I
08:58I thought about it but it's a way to build trust to strengthen relationships and create positive
09:04atmosphere for collaboration you know so once again we uh what seemed strange at first actually taught me a
09:14lot about cultural values and communication so I think these are the main topics and examples
09:22that's not responding to some important questions for me it seems like it's a blend either leading
09:27conflict or misunderstanding uh a deeper missile deeper understanding of uh any issue now I would like to
09:35move on to my third question again very one question says why do you think cultural awareness is
09:41this position in today's interconnected world thank you for the question this is so so so important
09:49but first of all for me um it is important to define what cultural awareness means
09:56so I think for me cultural awareness means being aware of the culture background that shapes our own
10:06way of thinking and acting while at the same time understanding that other people are guided by different
10:13values beliefs and practices and it's more than just noticing differences in cultures um for me it's about
10:23making a conscious effort to respect appreciate and engage with other cultures in yes I would say in a normal way or
10:32looking beyond beyond tourism so basically I think that cultural awareness has two main aspects the first is self-reflection
10:42so being aware as I said before um of my own cultural background and how it shapes my identity my behavior my
10:49expectations and also my communication style and the second aspect um that I think that um concerns to cultural
11:01awareness is openness towards others so approaching people with curiosity and empathy rather than quick judgment
11:08and I would say I believe that culture awareness is absolutely essential today
11:15because you know we live in such interconnected world um people from different backgrounds meet every day in
11:21international companies universities schools and even neighborhoods so
11:26so another important point for me is that culture awareness um does not mean memorizing facts about other countries
11:38I think it's about developing the ability to step into someone else's perspective it's here the point the the change of the perspective
11:48for example when I know that my direct way of communicating because I'm living here in Germany and I have also
11:55like a direct way of communicating and if I know that it might be perceived in other cultures as too blunt
12:02by someone from another culture I can adapt my communicate communicating style more effectively for example
12:11and I also think that in today's workplace um cultural awareness is not just a nice to have skill
12:20skill I think it is a key competence so
12:24diverse teams can be very successful but only if they are able to navigate their differences
12:30constructively when
12:33well um I would say when diversity is seen as a resource and here's the point as a resource
12:41it leads to more creativity more innovation and stronger results in a team
12:47so that's why cultural awareness I I think in my eyes is not only about preventing problems
12:56but it's really about unlocking potential yeah thanks for responding this important question like
13:01cultural awareness it's essentially uh in the world today to connect the world and uh you know it's also
13:10like you mentioned that developing someone else's perspective that mental image is very important and how it happens by causing
13:16cultural awareness I would like to move on to my fourth question a very important question says
13:22what are some simple ways individuals can become more culturally aware in every day's life yeah
13:31this is also a good question thank you um yeah as I mentioned before I think um it doesn't always take big
13:40steps so it can start with very simple things in daily life um one way is to be curious about people I think
13:48instead of judging and to try to ask questions and listen you know and
13:55for example yeah I have a good example my neighbor here in Germany is from India
14:01so recently I explained to him how waste separation works in Germany
14:06some time something very typical for the culture here and he told me that he had never thought about
14:15it that way before because in India it's not working like this so for me this shows that cultural awareness
14:22doesn't always start with big international projects it begins um with small daily interactions and
14:30then it grows into a skill that helps us in much bigger context you know
14:36so it means being open asking questions learning from each other even in daily routines
14:43um another step I want to reflect is um to reflect on our habits as I said before for example in
14:53Germany it's common to be punctual and to expect meetings to start exactly on time
14:59but that's not the case everywhere in the world so just the fact just realizing that what feels normal to
15:07you is not unusual and I think um thinking like this and this the the process of realizing these things is
15:16already a step towards more awareness you know so everyday interaction also offer opportunities talking to
15:26your neighbor having a short talk I don't know in with the barista at the cafe or asking a colleague about their traditions
15:34also these small conversations can open big doors and yes then there are easy ways to experience other cultures if you are interested in for example
15:46through movies music books or even cooking um trying a new recipe from another country can be a first step for example
15:57um but I want to um
16:02to yes this question I want to to end it um with a short um
16:10um view for a short view for me uh because the key I think the key is an open mindset so you don't need to be
16:20an intercultural trainer to be culturally aware you know so often it's about respect humility and
16:27the willingness to accept other perspectives and just as valid as your own and don't forget
16:33the change of perspective yeah simple ways you've talked about individuals like how they respond and
16:40everyday life it's like more for everyday sociology also I can build it we have a domain called
16:46phenomenology or sociological phenomenology so learning by small things every day's actions behaviors
16:53interactions very important now I would like to move on to my fifth question a wrap-up question final one
16:59but very one question is how can business and institutions foster effective intercultural communications
17:08among their teams yes thank you so much also for for this um last question also very important question
17:18in my opinion the first thing is training and awareness international companies that invest in
17:27intercultural workshops or training sessions um give their employees the chance to reflect on their own communication
17:34style as I said before and to learn about different cultural codes and to practice strategies also for avoiding
17:43misunderstandings and this is not just like a soft skill I would like to mention um
17:50um a study from 2024 by Mohammed Erfan from from the Wira Bhakti University in Indonesia
18:01and in this study he showed that employees who took part in intercultural training had stronger teamwork
18:10clearer communication and fewer misunderstandings so the same study also highlighted that such training directly
18:19improves organization organizational outcomes from higher employee satisfaction to stronger innovation
18:27um the second point I would like to mention is leadership culture this is a very very important
18:34topic so managers play a crucial role in shaping how diversity is handled um if leaders encourage openness and
18:43curiosity teams feel safer to bring in their different perspectives so uh the effort study also underlined that um leadership
18:53uh adaptability adaptability um what we often call cultural intelligence is essential so leaders who are able to adapt
19:04their style to different cultural contexts manage diverse teams more effective effect effectively
19:12and create more inclusive environments so in my eyes this means that companies with high cultural and gender
19:19diversity are not only more innovative but also financially more successful so leadership is not just about managing differences
19:30it's about actively using them as a strength and the third point
19:36the third point i would like to mention is about structures and support systems because companies need to create frameworks i think
19:46that make inclusion part of daily life things like for example mentoring programs intercultural tendons or bilingual communication tools
19:55so the airframe study um also found that organizations with inclusive policies and support structures had higher employee satisfaction and lower turnover
20:12so even small initiatives like celebrating cultural holidays together for example can strengthen trust and belonging
20:20belonging so what happens when companies introduce intercultural activities this is also a good question
20:28they create stronger trust fewer conflicts and better cooperation teams don't waste energy
20:34on misunderstanding but they can focus on creativity and problem solving and on their real um daily business
20:41um daily business so diverse teams that know how to work together are not only more innovative
20:50they are also more resilient you know and i think that in today's global economy
20:58that's not just a soft skill um to have to uh yes to have um cultural awareness
21:06and to practice it i think it's a real competitive advantage in my point of view yeah thank you so much uh
21:13responding these five important questions uh and the very important you've talked about cultural differences
21:19and what has sparked you and then share moments like uh cultural differences and uh cultural awareness
21:28it's importance and relevance interconnected work today and simple ways individuals can you know pass on
21:34different cultural cultural cultural understandings and traditions and then businesses and institutions
21:39how they can foster the topic was very important bridging uh bridging cultures navigating into the
21:47intercultural communications and this is certainly very important talked about for the very first time
21:54this topic contains a lot once again for any research platform and appearing on this platform giving
21:59your presence and sharing your insights and research in academia as you're already familiar that reso is
22:06a platform where we try to step through the noise to cause you most relevant and reliable sociological
22:11explanations and invitations in order to cause you a better database quantitative and qualitative different
22:18narratives and perspectives so that a better society can be developed the best of better possibilities in terms of
22:24academy and research can happen and enhancement can happen so that you know it's accessible to
22:30academic researchers researchers even lay people the overall intention is to make a better global society
22:36that's the reason you're on board once again ma'am thank you joining us from
22:39of germany and appearing on this platform thank you have a good time
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